Inked
by Philote
Summary: Lucas finally gets that tattoo he keeps making threats about. Too bad he can't even remember what it looks like.


Title: Inked

Author: philote_auctor

Rating: PG

Fandom: seaQuest DSV

Characters/Pairing: Lucas, Nick, Krieg, Westphalen & Bridger (gen)

Word Count: ~2500

Disclaimer: The characters and situations of _seaQuest DSV_ do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don't sue.

Author's Notes: Written for small fandom fest. Prompt was "Lucas & Bridger, family." Set during season 1. It ended up being sort of an ensemble piece with a focus on Lucas, though Bridger's presence is felt pretty heavily even in the scenes he isn't in. The idea was born mostly of Lucas's two brief mentions of wanting a tattoo in "Stinger" and "Whale Song."

Summary: Lucas finally gets that tattoo he keeps making threats about. Too bad he can't even remember what it looks like.

oOo

Lucas woke to the unexpected and rather unpleasant sensation of sand in his mouth.

He rolled the grit around on his tongue, trying to spit it out as he took stock of what was happening. His head was pounding out a dull rhythm, his stomach unsettled. He squinted to his left to find a long stretch of mostly empty beach.

He was on a weeklong vacation of sorts, except that it hadn't turned out to be much of a vacation. Some of the crew were attending training courses at a nearby institute. Lucas had come along with the expectation of taking another short trip to spend some time with his father before rejoining them. Unfortunately—but not unexpectedly, if he was being honest—his father had cancelled at the last minute. So Lucas was stuck with a lot of time on his hands and nothing to do. He'd been commiserating with his friend Nick online when they'd discovered that he was close by, so Nick had come down to hang out with him for the last couple of days.

They'd gone to a party last night. He remembered can of beer, and then another, and…not much else.

They were due to head back to the ship this morning, leaving at 7am sharp. Judging by the position of the sun, not only did he miss curfew, he was late for the departure.

With a moan, he carefully set his forehead back on the sand. "Oh, I am so dead."

"Maybe not."

Lucas rolled his head to the side until he could identify the body beside him as Nick. "Huh?" he asked intelligently.

"I called to tell your Lieutenant you'd be staying over with me, so you're okay on the whole 'not coming home last night' thing." Nick, who looked entirely too chipper given Lucas's current state, grimaced a bit. "Well, until they get a look at you, at least. Maybe you should go for a quick dip in the ocean, clothes and all."

Lucas was really not following this conversation. "What _happened_?"

Nick hesitated. "Let me just start by saying that you seemed to be having a lot of fun in the moment."

With an embarrassing amount of effort, Lucas rolled over onto his back. The second his right shoulder connected with the packed sand he gasped, pushing himself upright. Between the pain in the shoulder and the sudden increased pounding of his head, nausea surged. He gulped against it as a single memory flooded back. It took a bit for him to put it in context, to remember the hard table and the sharp needle that had accompanied the pain. "Not in _that_ moment," he countered, before the reality sank in. He clawed at his shirt, trying to see his back and finding a large square bandage. "Oh, tell me I didn't."

"Oh, you did."

"Why did you _let_ me?"

"Dude. I tried to talk you out of it. You said you'd been wanting one forever, and this was the perfect time. The only time. Time for you to be a man and make your own choices…"

Lucas interrupted with a moan.

Nick was trying to hide his grin. He wasn't trying hard enough. "You were very poetic about it. It was touching."

"Like I said…I am _so_ dead." He pushed himself to his feet, forcing Nick to jump up and catch him when he wavered. Unfortunately he grabbed his right arm, jarring his shoulder. Lucas hissed at the pain.

"Sorry," Nick was wincing along with him.

"With all the advancements in the field of medicine, you'd think they could find a less painful method of tattooing," he groused.

"Yup. Top concern of the medical field, right there."

Lucas glared at him. It made his head hurt worse, so he gave it up after only a few seconds, bringing his hands up to rub at his face. "Could I get some sympathy here? Just a little?"

"I'm saving that for after you ask me what _else_ you did last night."

Lucas groaned, parting his fingers just enough to see Nick's smirk. "Just kidding, Frankie."

oOo

"There's our wayward boy," Lieutenant Ben Krieg exclaimed in entirely too loud a voice when Lucas reentered their hotel suite. "And only two hours late."

"He's leaving out the part where he just finished packing five minutes ago after wasting the entire morning down at the breakfast bar," Tim O'Neill tattled as he carried a bag towards the door. "We couldn't have left on time, anyway."

Ben sneered at him and started to retort, but then they both seemed to take note of Lucas's appearance. "Have you been mud wrestling without us?" Ben asked.

Lucas grimaced. "Something like that."

"Well, did you have fun at least? Because I think the Captain might court martial me if I brought you back miserable."

"Fun? Yeah. Sure."

"Are you okay?" Tim asked, suspicion and concern warring on his features.

Krieg was a bit more proactive, coming well into his personal space and gripping his upper arms. Lucas fought not to wince, but he didn't think he'd succeeded. Ben sniffed at him and looked him long and hard in the eyes. "Have you been drinking?"

"Um," was all Lucas said, but apparently a verbal answer was not required.

Krieg groaned melodramatically. "Forget court martial. Bridger's going to have me _shot_."

Yeah, Lucas was definitely not going to tell him about the tattoo. "I'm fine," he announced with what he hoped was a convincing smile.

Krieg just sighed, shaking his head. "Let's go."

oOo

For someone who was afraid of reprimand for his less-than-stellar supervision of the ship's teenager, Krieg was surprisingly insistent on delivering him to med bay as soon as they were back aboard.

"But aren't you more afraid of Dr. Westphalen than Captain Bridger?" Lucas hissed as he was prodded along, trying to juggle his bag without using his right shoulder. "I know I am."

"That's because you have the Captain wrapped around your little finger. Not to mention the fact that he can't bring you up on charges."

"He's not going to do that. Especially if you don't tell them."

Ben eyed him. "Lucas, you threw up three times on the shuttle ride."

Lucas grimaced with the memory. "My head hurts; that's all."

"You're hungover, and I hope that's all. But if it isn't…well. I'd rather face their wrath and have you healthy."

Lucas quieted with that. What could he say to that kind of logic? He still didn't quite know what to do with people professing their concern for him, even in roundabout ways. It was kind of a foreign concept.

That was how he found himself seated on the edge of a bed in med bay. Krieg stayed, showing more courage than most people probably would have expected from him under the doctor's evil eye.

She examined him quickly, took more blood than he really believed was necessary, and finally gave him something to help with the symptoms of the hangover. "Anything else?" she asked as the medication was kicking in, leaving him feeling marginally more human again.

"No. I'm good."

"He's been favoring his right shoulder."

Betrayed, Lucas could do little but glare at Krieg as Westphalen turned back to him. "Lucas," she said simply, managing to convey the depth of her concern and disappointment in just the two syllables.

He held up for all of twenty-five more seconds before he gave in with a huff. "Fine."

He might could have managed the shirt on his own, but Krieg didn't give him the opportunity to find out, instead gently but insistently tugging it over his head for him. Lucas wouldn't let him take it away, though, holding it against his chest like a shield from the prying eyes.

"You have a bandage," Westphalen announced. Lucas resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the statement of the obvious, and still didn't offer information about what was underneath. Instead, he just sat while she peeled it away herself.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Lucas tried to brace himself for the onslaught.

"Lucas, you _didn't_," she breathed.

"He did." Ben swung his eyes back and forth between Lucas's face and his shoulder. "You actually went and did it." He looked like he wasn't sure whether to be dismayed or proud.

The doctor was casting an accusatory look Krieg's way. He put his hands up, wide-eyed. "I didn't know," he swore.

"He didn't," Lucas admitted, feeling kind of bad for his friend now.

"I should hope not."

He tried to sit still as she poked and prodded at it, examining the area. "At least it doesn't seem to have done any damage beyond the _permanent_ _ink_," she finally announced pointedly. "Keep it covered and dry. We'll check it again in a few days."

When she turned away to reach for something on a nearby counter, Ben leaned close. "Good choice. Very cool."

Unfortunately, she had very good ears. "Lieutenant Krieg, are you encouraging this? Becoming an accessory after the fact?"

He stepped back. "Absolutely not. Very bad idea, tattoos. I should get going. Duties and unpacking and…all that." Still, he cast Lucas a wink before he left the bay.

Westphalen heaved a put-upon sigh as she re-approached. There was a long moment wherein she just stood silently behind him until Lucas started to squirm. "Doctor?"

"Well, I suppose if you just _had_ to have one, it was a good choice."

Lucas's eyebrows shot up. He was glad she couldn't see the stunned relief that must be playing across his face.

He wasn't about to admit that he didn't even remember what it was supposed to look like.

"Though," she continued as she reapplied a new bandage, "I won't even hazard a guess as to what Nathan's reaction will be."

oOo

He was at the moonpool, deep in conversation with Darwin when the Captain finally caught up to him a few hours later. Lucas was greeted with a warm smile that he easily returned, genuinely happy to see the man despite the chastisement he expected to receive.

"Did you have a good trip?"

"Yes?" Bridger eyed him and he gave up with a sigh. "I knew someone would tell." He doesn't ask who.

The Captain stepped closer. "You're expecting a lecture, yes?"

"Yes," Lucas agreed reluctantly.

Bridger nodded, somehow managing to seem sympathetic and scolding at the same time. "Because you know this was not smart. Drinking, getting a tattoo at some unsavory backstreet parlor…"

"What makes you think it was unsavory?"

"Because they were willing to serve a minor with no release forms."

Lucas hadn't really thought about that. "Oh."

"Not smart. But _you_ are smart, exceedingly so, so you know all of this."

Lucas shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess."

"I just want you to be safe. You know that too, right?"

"Yes, I know." And he did. That was probably why he so hated disappointing the man.

The Captain considered him for a long moment. "Why did you do it?"

He shrugged again. "For fun?"

Bridger shook his head. Not in a what-am-I-going-to-do-with-you sort of way, but rather indicating it was the wrong answer. He waited a moment before asking with surprising gentleness, "Did your father even speak with you directly?"

Stunned at the sudden direction of the conversation, Lucas hesitated before he answered. "No. He left a message at the hotel. I tried to call him back a couple of times, but…well, like he said in the message. He was busy."

The sympathy had definitely won out over the scolding as the Captain reached out, carefully choosing Lucas's left shoulder to squeeze. "I'm sorry."

Lucas swallowed hard, glancing away. "It's not your fault." He cleared his throat, seeking distraction. "Um. Aren't you going to punish me?"

Bridger laughed in surprise. "Do you want me to?"

"Well, no, but…" Lucas sputtered.

"How about we count living with the permanent reminder as punishment enough."

"Yeah. I guess that might work."

They stood for a long moment, staring at each other.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Lucas tried.

The Captain was having none of it. "I want to see it."

"You're not the only one," he mumbled under his breath. He knew protesting would be fruitless in the end, but he still heaved an annoyed sigh as he started struggling with the t-shirt again. Then he fumbled to pull the new bandage from his skin while still facing an exceedingly patient Bridger. When he finally got it loose he still stood there for a moment, bandage in hand, hesitating.

Behind him, Darwin chirped excitedly. The vocorder chimed in with, "Darwin! Lucas has Darwin on skin!"

Bridger's eyebrows went up, but Lucas was a bit busy being confused in his own right. Gentle but firm hands turned him around until Lucas was staring at Darwin, wondering exactly what the Captain was seeing. The man gave a low whistle, which didn't really help with Lucas's anxiety. Finally he said, "I must admit, that is nice. And rather fitting for you."

"It is?"

"Would you like a mirror?"

"Yes, please," he admitted.

They found a piece of reflective glass at one of the nearby workstations that served nicely. Bridger held it for him, finding just the right angle for Lucas to finally get a glimpse. Sure enough, it was a dolphin. The full-bodied, bluish-grey figure curled over his shoulder blade in a sleek frolicking motion. It actually was pretty cool. "Huh," he said aloud, pleased. He caught the Captain's knowing glance and added rather lamely, "I mean, it's…bluer than I thought."

"Uh huh. Must be the lighting."

Clearly, he was humoring him. Lucas grinned at him anyway.

As he helped Lucas maneuver back into the shirt a few minutes later, Bridger mused casually, "I've served with groups that bonded like family before, but none so much as this crew. Know why I think that is?"

"Prolonged isolation underwater?" Lucas hazarded. "Shear amount of time spent together in deadly peril?"

Bridger shook his head with a fond smile. "There are a lot of factors. But a big part of it is you."

Lucas froze, waiting for the punch line. But none came, and the Captain just stood there, waiting for his reaction. "I don't know about that," he finally said. "I'm not so good at family."

"That's too bad. Because you have a pretty big one; one that loves you a great deal."

Lucas had to look away, emotion suddenly threatening to overwhelm him. He managed a slightly broken, "Thanks."

A gentle hand on his chin brought his gaze back. It was incredibly natural to step into the hug that followed. It still surprised Lucas sometimes how easily affection could come.

The Captain held him tightly, careful to avoid the still-sore shoulder as he stroked a hand down his back. After a few long moments Darwin chirped again, wanting their attention.

"Lucas brother now?"

They broke apart, chuckling. Lucas glanced up at the Captain, marveling at the warmth in his eyes for a moment before he had to look away. He focused his gaze on the dolphin instead. "Yeah, Darwin. I think you could put it that way."

oOo


End file.
